UN envoy enters Myanmar for first time in more than a year

NAYPYIDAW (AFP) - A UN rights envoy arrived in Myanmar on Sunday for the first time in more than a year for talks with senior government officials, amid signs the regime is seeking to engage its critics. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, was due to meet the foreign and home ministers in the capital Naypyidaw before attending parliament on Monday, officials said. The envoy has been a vocal critic of Myanmar's rulers, enraging the generals after his last trip by suggesting that human rights violations in the country may amount to crimes against humanity and could warrant a UN inquiry. The international community has called for a number of reforms in Myanmar including the release of around 2,000 political prisoners.